Thursday, September 25, 2003, 8pm
Susana Foxley in person!
In conjunction with the Film Center’s “Pinochet and Beyond: Contemporary Chilean Documentary” series, Conversations at the Edge is proud to present this poignant clash-of-cultures study, presented by co-director Susana Foxley. Nema Problema (the title is Serbian) traces the lives of 26 refugees from the Balkans War of 1991 who decide to accept the first resettlement program of the United Nations in Latin America, and immigrate to Chile. Their warm welcome by the cheerful Chileans, proud of their new role as benefactors, cannot mask the economic slump which sets the immigrants’ new-found freedom against a material existence more precarious, for some, than before. Foxley and Leighton portray the Croat, Serb and Bosnian refugees as individuals and set their varied attitudes – from snobbish to grateful to resignedly analytical – against the ingenuous observations of their government-appointed Chilean cook. A tale of best intentions with an ironic conclusion, Nema Problema traces a process of disillusionment and along the way demystifies Chile’s self-image as a melting pot – with echoes for the USA (Jim Trainor). 2001, Susanna Foxley & Cristian Leighton, Chile, 62 min, video.